REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus now takes his ministry to a wider audience, in the ordinary context of people’s lives. From teaching in the synagogues, he moves on to the seashore; he sits on a boat and turns it into a “pulpit.” It is not an indifferent choice that Jesus sits on Simon’s boat to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s Gospel brings to focus the healing ministry of Jesus. This time it is the ills of the body and spirit that he confronts. Sickness is part of the human condition. People of all walks of life and all ages have some ailments that need treatment. Jesus is also present in...
REFLECTIONS TODAY From Nazareth, Jesus now moves on to Capernaum to continue his mission. This time, we see how he exercises his teaching authority in a very unique way. His word has power to drive away an unclean demon, to wrest control from the evil spirits and truly show that God’s Kingdom has...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The present moment of salvation happens because Jesus fulfills his calling consistently even in the face of trials and opposition. Indeed, in this Gospel, we see how the initial admiration of the hearers later turns into criticism and rejection. The good news of Jesus is just too...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 The heart is a “tricky master.” It has “reasons which reason knows nothing of” (Blaise Pascal). This saying comes to mind as we reflect on today’s Gospel where Jesus responds to the criticism put forward by the Pharisees and the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The fifth discourse in Matthew’s Gospel is known as the Eschatological Discourse. Matthew 24–25 also constitutes the little apocalypse of Matthew, which speaks not of the end in the terminal sense but as a period that ushers a new period. Today’s Gospel, which narrates...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s celebration is very significant since is a commemoration of St. John the Baptist’s martyrdom which implies his life as a prophet. He unmasked the evil doings of the people, particularly those of Herod (Antipas) and Herodias. He was martyred under the order of a king...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Prophecy and hypocrisy do not go together. The prophets are truth-tellers. The hypocrites hide the truth by fabricating lies, and cover up their lies by making them appear as if they are truthful. Today’s Gospel continues Jesus’ ouai over the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Today’s Gospel narrates Jesus’ confrontation with the scribes and the Pharisees, with the strong Greek word ouai, an interjection of denunciation that is normally translated in English as “Woe!” We need to understand that this interjection is not expressing a mere dislike...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In response to the angel Gabriel’s message from God, Mary gives her fiat (agreement) because she considers herself “the handmaid” (v 38) of the Lord. The Greek doule means female slave or servant, and in the cultural world of the time a female slave is a commodity of the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Working in the Lord’s vineyard is already a great blessing in itself. Today’s Gospel narrates a parable about a landowner who goes out to hire laborers for his vineyard at various hours in the day. At the end of the day, all who worked in the same vineyard receive the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY It is not easy to live up to the challenge of detachment. The values of the world make us believe that to accumulate things without let up is the way to go. Often this attitude of accumulation is exercised at the expense of others. But the Gospel values tell us otherwise. Wealth...
